Sold April 2017 Back to Archive

A 5 inch gauge Britannia, built from a Winson kit it's been steamed apparently once to test, since then it's been on display in the late owner's house (up five flights of stairs no less, Connor counted them on the way down), run occasionally on compressed air.

Unusually for a kit-built engine it runs well - the locomotive pushes along very freely, coasting to a gentle halt if given a decent push. With 10psi of air in the boiler it will tick over, steamed out in the yard yesterday it ran for most of the afternoon - there's some video of it here.

Silver soldered copper boiler, complete with manufacturer's original documentation including hydraulic test certificate. Feed by twin injectors with auxiliary hand pump in the tender. Cast iron cylinders with piston valves actuated by Walschaerts gear, screw reverser in the cab. Mechanical lubricator.

The engine has been well painted, the builder has added extra detailing such aslamps, works and tender plates, planked cab floor, vacuum hoses and feed valve indicator plates on the tender. Interesting choice of cabside number, perhaps a smaller font might have given room for another zero...

There is minor work remaining - the weighshaft isn't pinned adequately resulting in the die block lifting arms gyrating frenetically when running. Regulator shaft needs pinning on the outside. Injectors work after a fashion, but neither steam nor water valves are very special, making them difficult to control - given the quality of Winson valves I'd be tempted to replace them completely.

Complete with a binder with original assembly instructions and a length of scale display track. The builder obviously enjoyed putting this one together, he went on to buy their 5 inch gauge Jubilee, Likamobile steam car and Tiger tank kits.